Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 March (HL6081), what is their estimate of the cost of constructing the Handsacre connection to the West Coast Main Line compared with a straight connection to HS2 Phase 2A towards Crewe.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The total budget for High Speed 2 is £55.7bn. HS2 Ltd is currently procuring contractors to deliver the first Phase of HS2. The Department for Transport does not release details of the estimated cost of constructing individual components of the scheme as this information is commercially sensitive.

West Coast Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 March (HL5994), what are the minor line speed improvements on the West Coast Main Line, mainly North of Preston, that will enable non-tilt trains to go faster, but will not enable tilting trains to go faster.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The current West Coast Main Line (WCML) has been optimised for tilting trains which operate up to a maximum speed of 125 mph, whilst non-tilting trains are limited to operating at up to 110 mph. However, north of the future Golborne Junction, track geometry on some sections of line may allow non-tilting passenger trains to operate up to 125 mph within the existing operational rules and without track changes. Further, minor infrastructure alternations could be made on the transitions between straight and curved sections of track to optimise the speed profile for non-tilting trains further, which would make no change to the speed profile of existing tilting trains. The journey time differential between a tilting train and non-tilting train would therefore be reduced.

A14

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the rise in local air pollution, and associated health effects, resulting from the proposed increase in road traffic following alterations at the A14 Brampton interchange.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Air quality modelling completed by Highways England during the development of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme indicated that there would be no overall significant effect on air quality in Brampton. An Environmental Statement was published in December 2014, which included a full air quality assessment.

Railways: Huntingdon

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of increasing rail traffic through the Huntingdon area; and whether this would avoid increasing air pollution at the proposed A14 Brampton interchange.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The significant investment in the East Coast Main Line will enable capacity for two additional trains per hour between Kings Cross and Doncaster as well as allowing for the introduction of new electric and bi-mode Intercity Express Trains. These are planned to replace older diesel trains and enable reduced journey times. No specific assessment has been made of the impact on air pollution at the A14 interchange as part of the investment in rail infrastructure, however electric trains have far lower carbon emissions and offer better environmental performance. From 2018 Thameslink services comprised of 12 coaches will link Peterborough and Huntingdon with St Pancras, the City and Gatwick Airport offering more capacity for passengers and easier journeys to a wider range of destinations.

Parking: Fees and Charges

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Workplace Parking Levy in Nottingham; and what discussions, if any, are taking place to introduce workplace parking levies in other cities to tackle problems associated with traffic congestion and air pollution.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government has not made an assessment of the Workplace Parking Levy in Nottingham. Nottingham City Council is undertaking ongoing evaluation of their scheme and Department for Transport officials have assisted them in developing this work. Over previous years officials have had initial conversations with places that have shown an interest in the Workplace Parking Levy, but to date no formal application to implement a scheme has been received.

Taxis: Greater London

lord higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 31 January (HL4755), whether the range of tools available to Transport for London to deal with congestion and vehicle pollution includes the power to limit the number of private hire vehicles which it licenses; and if not, why not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As indicated in the answer of 31 January, the Government’s view is that although Transport for London (TfL) do not have the power to limit the number of private hire vehicles (PHVs), other mechanisms are available to address concerns regarding the operation of the taxi and private hire sector. Therefore there are no current plans to amend primary legislation in order to permit any licensing authority, including TfL, to cap the number of PHVs licensed.

Taxis: Greater London

lord higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 31 January (HL4755), whether any authority has the power to limit the number of private hire vehicles licensed to operate in London; and whether they have received any representations from the Mayor of London on the need for such powers.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government supports choice for consumers, and wants to see both taxis and private hire vehicles prosper in London and across the country. As indicated in the answer of 31 January, the Government’s view is that although powers to limit the number of private hire vehicles do not exist, other mechanisms are available to address concerns regarding the operation of the taxi and private hire sector. The Government has met with representatives of the Mayor on this issue.

Air Routes: Europe

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that, following Brexit, airlines based in the UK will still be able to operate European flights; and what assurances they are able to give to the public, airports and airlines, that tickets sold up to eighteen months ahead can be honoured post-Brexit.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government plans to negotiate the best possible relationship between the UK and the EU in the field of aviation with a smooth and orderly transition. The Department for Transport is working closely with the industry to best understand their requirements and to ensure that the outcome of the negotiations serves the interests of both passengers and the aviation industry.

Air Routes: Europe

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to negotiate, during the Brexit negotiations, a transitional aviation regime for UK airlines operating European routes, in order to avoid a sudden end to the operation of those routes; and if so, (1) how they intend to conduct, and (2) when they expect to conclude, those negotiations.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government plans to negotiate the best possible relationship between the UK and the EU in the field of aviation with a smooth and orderly transition. The Department for Transport is working closely with the industry to best understand their requirements and to ensure that the outcome of the negotiations serves the interests of both passengers and the aviation industry.

Aviation: Security

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, before introducing the ban on the carriage of personal electronic devices in cabins on certain flights, what assessment they made of (1) the additional risk of lithium battery fires in aircraft holds, and (2) the safety implications of implementing a ban on lithium batteries being transported in any part of the aircraft.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The International Civil Aviation Organisation Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (and the International Air Transport Association Dangerous Goods Regulations) detail the conditions for the carriage of consumer Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) containing lithium ion/metal batteries by passengers and crew. Carriage within checked/hold baggage is permitted with the devices switched off and packed such that they are afforded suitable protection from damage and inadvertent operation. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has provided further advice to air carriers on the procedures to be followed in relation to the carriage of devices containing lithium batteries in the hold of an aircraft. With assurance that these procedures are in place and that passengers are complying with the operators’ safety instructions, the CAA’s assessment is that the safety risk in relation to this issue can be managed.

Large Goods Vehicles

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what lessons have been learned from the trials that have taken place on the use of longer semi-trailers for articulated goods vehicles.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The trial is now in its fifth year and the evidence so far suggests that these vehicles are proving to be a more efficient way of moving the same volume of freight, using fewer vehicles, mainly on trunking routes. The trial has demonstrated that longer semi-trailers (LSTs) have reduced the number of journeys and vehicles on the road, saving an estimated 75-90,000 lorry journeys and 10 million km, to the end of 2015. This represents an average of 1 in 19 journeys saved compared to using regular semi-trailers. All the evidence to date indicates LSTs on the trial are operating as safely as standard length semi-trailers. The latest year of trial data is currently being processed and that the Department for Transport anticipates publishing a 2016 annual report in due course.

Large Goods Vehicles

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on highway surfaces and street furniture, such as roundabouts, of the use of longer semi-trailers for articulated goods vehicles.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We asked the trial evaluators to assess all incidents including reported damage only events. The damage-only incidents logged on the trial are summarised in the annual report. The majority of the events involved only minor damage. We have no record of incidents involving longer semi-trailers (LSTs) regularly causing significant damage to street furniture or buildings. LSTs operate within existing weight restrictions and have reduced the number of journeys and therefore are unlikely to have had any effect on highway surfaces through extra overall or axle weight. LSTs are required to meet current Construction and Use turning circle requirements by physical tests being conducted and witnessed by Vehicle Certification Agency engineers. During these witness test the trailers demonstrate less tyre side scrub and less apparent damage to the test surface.

Large Goods Vehicles

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their plans for the future use of longer semi-trailers for articulated goods vehicles.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The trial is now in its fifth year and the evidence so far suggests that these vehicles are proving to be a more efficient way of moving the same volume of freight, using fewer vehicles, mainly on our trunking routes. A decision will be made on the future of longer semi-trailers (LSTs) when we have sufficient evidence from the trial. Officials anticipate stating discussions with interested external organisations in the next few months about the potential future use of LSTs.

Large Goods Vehicles

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend longer semi-trailers for articulated goods vehicles to have unfettered use of the entire highway network or be confined to trunk roads and motorways.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: A decision has not been taken whether (and if so how) to allow longer semi-trailers (LSTs) outside the trial. In the trial LSTs have access to the general highway network. We will use the evidence from the ongoing trial to inform any decisions about future use. The evidence from the trial to date demonstrates that the majority of LST operations take place on motorways. However these vehicles need ready access to depots, supplier sites and larger retail sites, in many cases near but not on motorways or trunk roads. Local Authorities have powers to restrict or prohibit the use of heavy goods vehicles on specific roads. These restrictions could also apply to LSTs.

Railways: Safety

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current legislation regarding endangering passenger safety on trains; and what assessment they have made of whether the current legislation regarding the safe operation of trains adequately protects the guard from legal action related to reckless actions by passengers.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: There is a range of legislation in place aimed at rail operators, to ensure the safety of the travelling public and workers, which is reviewed periodically. For example, The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS) provide the regulatory regime for rail safety, including the mainline railway, metros (including London Underground), tramways, light rail and heritage railways. These regulations were recently subject to a periodic implementation review (PIR), which found they were working well. Any allegations about the conduct of rail staff, including in response to actions by passengers, would be subject to the appropriate civil or criminal law.

Aviation

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority they will give to ensuring continued access to the EU’s Open Skies deregulated aviation market in the negotiations to leave the EU.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government plans to negotiate the best possible relationship between the UK and the EU in the field of aviation with a smooth and orderly transition. The Department for Transport is working closely with the industry to best understand their requirements and to ensure that the outcome of the negotiations serves the interests of both passengers and the aviation industry.

Air Routes

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk that UK-based airlines will relocate abroad in order to maintain continental routes after Brexit.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU and plans to negotiate the best possible relationship between the UK and the EU in the field of aviation. The Department for Transport is working closely with the sector to best understand its requirements and to ensure that the outcome of the negotiations serves the interests of both passengers and the aviation industry.

Air Traffic Control

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to conduct statutory five-yearly reviews of all UK airspace allocation, both civil and military.

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to better harmonise civil, general and military aviation activity within the UK, especially in congested areas such as the south-east of England.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has a duty to classify UK airspace and to keep such classification under review, under the Directions given by Government. In exercising this air navigation function the CAA must also reasonably apply a number of provisions, including to secure the most efficient use of airspace and to satisfy the requirements of operators and owners of all classes of aircraft. This year we have begun the process of developing a new Government strategy for UK aviation as a whole. We will be consulting widely throughout 2017, starting in the next few weeks. This will include seeking views from those involved in civil, general and military aviation. This will be an ambitious programme of work, leading to publication of an Aviation Strategy White Paper at the end of 2018.

Airports: Closures

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider the introduction of new rules to ensure that no airfield can be closed without a full independent economic appraisal and audit of its contribution to local, national and international connectivity.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The majority of airfields in the UK are privately owned and operated. Operational decisions are therefore a commercial matter. The Government will be starting work on a new aviation strategy this year. We will be considering a number of issues within the general aviation sector and the role that aerodromes play in supporting connectivity.

Driverless Vehicles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Amsterdam Declaration 2016, what international role they intend to take in setting and developing agreed communications standards for connected vehicles; and how they intend to do this once the UK has left the EU.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Department for Transport and its partners (Highways England, Kent County Council and TfL) are developing the A2/M2 Connected Vehicle Corridor between London and Dover. This is the national pilot and forms part of a network of European connected vehicle corridors (“Intercor”) to deliver interoperable standards. The Department will continue to review the development of communication standards for connected vehicles, as they develop over time, to ensure that these standards meet the UK’s best interests and deliver interoperability.

Aviation

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to clarify the rules covering the operation of seaplanes for personal and recreational use around the UK.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government has no plans at present to clarify the rules covering the operation of seaplanes for personal and recreational use.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the likely time delay and cost to HS2 of CH2M withdrawing their bid for the £170m design contract for Phase 2B; what were the reasons for the withdrawal; and whether any penalty or compensation payment has been applied by HS2 to C2HM.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Secretary of State for Transport still expects to make a decision later this year on Phase 2b of HS2, further to the recently closed consultation (HS2 Crewe to Manchester, West Midlands to Leeds: Route Refinement Consultation 2016). HS2 Ltd does not expect any material time or cost delay, following the CH2M decision, to the planned deposit of its hybrid bill for Phase 2b in 2019.CH2M chose to withdraw their bid and issued a press statement explaining their reasons for that decision. The HS2 Ltd invitation to tender did not have a penalty provision.

Network Rail: Land

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place between Network Rail and the Treasury regarding (1) the sale of operational land, (2) whether such sales would be leasehold or freehold, (3) what conditions would be applied to ensure the continuing use of such land for railway purposes, and (4) how much money is estimated could be raised from the sale of (a) rail freight terminals, (b) rail passenger stations, (c) commercial arches, and (d) operational rail tracks and lines.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The government holds regular discussions with Network Rail to discuss a wide range of topics, including the asset disposal programme. This programme is ongoing and the detail of any future sales are commercially sensitive. HM Treasury is engaged in these asset sales discussions, working through the Department for Transport, who manage the relationship between Network Rail and central government alongside UK Government Investments. Specifically, HM Treasury is represented on a Network Rail chaired meeting where potential sales of assets are discussed and where its input can be sought.

Highways England: Land

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recently announced cost escalation of new or enhanced road projects by Highways England, whether any discussions have taken place between Highways England and the Treasury about (1) the sale of operational land, (2) whether such sales would be leasehold or freehold, (3) what conditions would be applied to ensure the continuing use of such land for road user purposes, and (4) how much money is estimated could be raised from the sale of (a) motorway service stations, (b) motorways, and (c) trunk roads.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: I understand that no discussions have taken place between Highways England and the Treasury about the sale of operational land. Highways England own 21 Motorway Service Area sites and are currently looking at how to secure best value for the taxpayer from these sites. No estimates have been made from the sale of motorways or trunk roads.

High Speed Two

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to appoint a successor to David Prout as Director General of the HS2 Group; and what the selection process will be.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The recruitment and selection process for the Director General for High Speed Rail Group will be agreed following the appointment of the new Permanent Secretary, which is expected to be announced by late April 2017.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey published in March, whether they intend to review the highways maintenance funding formula allocations which have been established for the financial years to 2020–21.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Department for Transport undertook a review of and consultation on the Highways Maintenance capital block grant formula in 2015. A data refresh will take place in consultation with local highway authorities in 2018. The Department for Transport published its latest assessment, Road Conditions in England in March 2017. This assessment shows that local classified roads are improving, with fewer local roads needing to be considered for maintenance. The Department is making available over £6 billion to local highway authorities in England, outside London, between 2015 and 2021 for local highways maintenance. This includes £250 million from the Pothole Action Fund.

Aviation: Regulation

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their proposals for the regulation of civil aviation following Brexit.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including future arrangements for the regulation of civil aviation. Until the UK leaves the EU, EU law continues to apply alongside national rules. The Department for Transport is working closely with the sector to best understand its requirements. The Great Repeal Bill, as set out in the White Paper published 30th March, will convert EU law as it stands at the moment of Exit into domestic law before we leave the EU. It will also enable domestic law to reflect the content of any withdrawal agreement under Article 50. This approach will provide maximum clarity and certainty for business and individuals, as in general the same rules and laws will apply on the day of Exit. Parliament (and, where appropriate, the devolved legislatures) will then have the ability, where it decides it is right to do so, to amend, repeal, or improve any piece of EU law at the appropriate time once we have left the EU.

London-Brighton Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they received the report by Chris Gibb into the performance failures on the Brighton Main Line, and when they intend to publish it unredacted.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Chris Gibb provided his technical advice to the Secretary of State for Transport on 30 December 2016. The advice will be published shortly, with limited redactions to protect legal and commercially sensitive information.

East Coast Railway Line

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 March (HL6061), what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the small diesel engine to get an electric Inter City Express train from Newark to Doncaster over the 51-mile diversionary route via Swinderby; and how long it would take to complete that journey.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The small engine installed on the electric Intercity Express trains is intended as a means of moving the train to the nearest station in the event of disruption. As such, journey times between Newark and Doncaster via Swinderby have not been assessed. It is planned that the Bi mode trains in the fleet will operate on the diversionary route via Lincoln during times of perturbation and engineering works. Bi mode trains are capable of reaching line speed.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Consumers: Protection

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the request in the letter of 22 March from Citizens Advice, MoneySavingExpert.com and Which to the Prime Minister, whether they will establish a high-level working group to focus on securing the best possible deal for UK consumers as the UK exits the EU.

lord prior of brampton: We plan to follow up the roundtable hosted at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 19 December 2016 that involved representatives from a range of consumer bodies, charities and academics. This will provide an opportunity to discuss the best way to maintain close contact with consumer groups in the future.

Climate Change: Arctic

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will be making representations to the government of the US about reports of the elimination and non-disclosure of scientific data for the Arctic region; and whether they will make representations to UN agencies about the maintenance of this data collection as the Arctic climate changes.

lord prior of brampton: Whilst this Government does recognise that countries will make their own judgments about how best to contribute to and maintain the scientific record, we fully acknowledge the importance of the integrity of the scientific record. We place significant value on science and evidence-based policy making and we will continue to advocate transparent and open scientific data sharing with our international partners. At present, it would not be appropriate to comment on specifics without further evidence of the reports being made. The UK and the US do however have a long and successful history of working together on a wide range of scientific and technical disciplines. The UK-US scientific partnership is one of the world’s strongest - nearly 30% of the UK’s international co-authored papers are with the US, producing an impact 50% higher than the UK research base average. We expect this collaboration to continue long into the future.

Employment

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cumulative effect of changes to laws and regulations relating to employment on (1) small and medium-sized enterprises, (2) charities, and (3) churches.

lord prior of brampton: All such legislation and its associated impacts can be found on the Legislation.gov.uk website. Individual impact assessments will detail the expected impacts including, where relevant, those accruing to charities and churches. A Small and Micro Business Assessment is also mandatory within an impact assessment for most domestic measures that regulate business and come into force after 31 March 2014.

Productivity

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the beneficial effects of good leadership and psychological wellbeing upon productivity and output in the national economy.

lord prior of brampton: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a number of reports on Gov.uk, which complement the broader academic literature on this subject. These reports can be found on GOV.UK.Firstly, the report “Leadership and Management in the UK - the Key to Sustainable Growth” was published in 2012. This summarised the key evidence and set out the benefits of business investment in leadership and management skills.The research report “Does Worker Wellbeing Affect Workplace Performance?” was published in October 2014. The analysis suggested that well-being is also positively associated with workplace financial performance, labour productivity and the quality of output or service.Most recently, the research report, “Leadership and management skills in small and medium-sized businesses” was published in 2015. The research suggested that entrepreneurship skills and leadership skills were most consistently and strongly associated with good management practice and performance of small and medium-sized enterprises.



Leadership & management skills development report
(PDF Document, 509.04 KB)




Does worker wellbeing affect workplace performance
(PDF Document, 1.02 MB)




Leadership and management skills in SMEs
(PDF Document, 987.08 KB)

Department for International Development

Commonwealth: Disease Control

lord chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking steps to ensure that Commonwealth countries do more to tackle global health threats, such as malaria.

lord bates: The UK is a leader in accelerating malaria control through our contribution to the Global Fund, direct support to countries to develop and implement malaria policies, and our extensive research programme for new drugs, diagnostic and insecticides. Since it started work, the Global Fund has spent over £13.6bn in Commonwealth countries.In addition, DFID supports a number of Commonwealth countries, for instance Ghana, to tackle health threats by strengthening their health systems – one of the most important methods to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and existing health threats.

Department for Education

Citizenship: Education

lord blunkett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding has been provided in respect of citizenship education and related issues, including British values, over the last 12 months; to which bodies that funding was provided; how much has been specifically allocated to individual projects; what is the timetable for the spending of that funding; and how much funding is available for 2017–18.

lord nash: We trust schools to decide the funding and resources that they allocate to individual subjects within the curriculum, including citizenship. The Association of Citizenship Teaching won a tender with the Department to produce high quality resources, including guidance regarding the teaching of fundamental British values. This will enable teachers to engage pupils in the importance of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different beliefs and those without faith, citizenship, and equality. The value of the contract is £50,000 and the first two resources are currently being piloted. The contract will conclude on 31 October 2018. DfE and the Home Office are jointly funding the Educate Against Hate website (www.educateagainsthate.com), a comprehensive online resource for teachers, education professionals and parents, offering advice on how to keep young people safe from harmful influences that could lead to radicalisation as well as practical tools to engage with students on these matters and to enable them to discuss and debate issues. The total amount spent in 2016/17 was £36,404.00; funding for 17/18 is not has not yet been agreed.

Pupil Exclusions

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what procedures are in place to enable the reporting of unlawful exclusions from state-funded schools.

lord nash: A pupil can only lawfully be deleted from the admission register in accordance with the grounds prescribed in legislation. These are set out in Regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended, which includes where a child has been permanently excluded. Where the name of a pupil is to be deleted from the admission register, the school must inform their local authority of the deletion. As part of their legal duties in relation to exclusion, schools must have regard to the statutory guidance issued by the Department.Parents approaching the Department with concerns about an unlawful exclusion or removal from the admission register are informed about the formal routes of challenge available to them and directed to sources of free and impartial advice. If the Department identified that a governing body had acted unlawfully or unreasonably in carrying out its legal duties in relation to exclusion, and it would be expedient to so, then the Secretary of State could issue a direction. The Department would also pass to Ofsted any relevant evidence that fell within the inspectorate’s remit.

Pupil Exclusions

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unlawful exclusions from state-funded schools were reported to the Department for Education in each of the last five academic years.

lord nash: The Department for Education does not routinely collect data on unlawful exclusions. There is a statutory process to follow when pupils are formally excluded from their school. Where an exclusion decision is challenged and an independent review panel (IRP) is appointed, the Department collects and publishes data on whether panels decide to uphold the exclusion decision, recommend that the governing body reconsiders their decision, or quash the decision and direct that the governing body/academy trust considers the exclusion again: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2014-to-2015 (table 13). One of the reasons that an IRP could direct the governing body/academy trust to reconsider is if they believe the exclusion to be illegal, but we do not collect data on the reason for an IRPs decision. We do not collect data on pupils who are prevented from attending a school outside of the formal exclusion process.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Suicide

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the conclusion of the Prison and Probation Ombudsman in the bulletin published on 28 March that there has been a "lack of concerted and sustained action" to deal with the rise in the number of suicides by female prisoners, what steps they have taken to implement recommendations made in the Corston Report published in 2007, and since, to address that.

lord keen of elie: The rise in the level of self-inflicted deaths is complex and there is no simple solution. We are committed to driving improvement across the system to bring the rate down by increasing the support available to vulnerable offenders during the first 24 hours in custody. We have invested more in mental health training for prison officers and are delivering a suicide and self-harm reduction project to address the rise in self-inflicted deaths and self-harm in female prisons. This year, we will publish a strategy for female offenders that will focus on how we improve outcomes for female offenders in the community as well as in custody.

Dartmoor Prison

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to replace Dartmoor Prison since the publication of the report of the House of Commons Justice Committee, Prisons: planning and policies, of March 2015.

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the need to give ten years' notice to the Duchy of Cornwall to vacate Dartmoor Prison, whether and when they intend (1) to give such notice, and (2) to replace it with a new prison.

lord keen of elie: We are investing £1.3bn to build up to 10,000 new prison places which will replace places in ageing and ineffective prisons, such as HMP Dartmoor, providing buildings fit for today’s demands and able to support effective rehabilitation. HMP Berwyn, a new rehabilitative male prison in North Wales, opened week beginning 27 February 2017, providing 2,106 modern and efficient prison places. We have applied for planning permission to redevelop the sites at the former HMP Wellingborough and at HMP & YOI Glen Parva. We intend to apply for planning permission on the sites of HMP & YOI Rochester and HMP & YOI Hindley, on land adjacent to HMP Full Sutton and a new site in Port Talbot. Notice to terminate the lease for Dartmoor prison was served to the Duchy of Cornwall in November 2013.

Ministry of Defence

Parachute Regiment

lord robathan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many personnel serving in the Parachute Regiment or supporting arms attached to Parachute Regiment Battalions, are not qualified as military parachutists and have not completed the required parachute training.

earl howe: The table below sets out the number of Regular and Reserve personnel serving in the Parachute Regiment or supporting arms attached to the Parachute Regiment Battalions who have not completed the Army Basic Parachute Course as of 1 April 2017.Part qualifiedNot qualifiedParachute Regiment180230Attached personnel1010  Part qualified personnel are those who have completed 90 per cent of the course and are therefore considered to be Limited Combat Ready. Unqualified personnel will have successfully completed the Pre-Parachute Selection process and await upload to parachute training. Central information is not held to this level, therefore figures are locally produced management information. The figures provided have been rounded to the nearest 10 to limit disclosure and ensure confidentiality.

World War II: Wrecks

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 27 March (HL6154), what appropriate action has been taken with regional governments and partners to prevent desecration of the wrecks of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse.

earl howe: Our Foreign and Commonwealth Office representatives continue to engage with the local and regional authorities to ensure that our position is made clear on the desecration of these sites and appropriate action is taken. We will provide support for any action against such activity when we are able to do so.

HM Treasury

EU Nationals

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 23 March 2017 (HL5996), what estimate they have made of the contribution of non-UK EU nationals living in the UK to the UK’s gross domestic product per head; and what assessment they have made of that contribution.

baroness neville-rolfe: Productivity is a key determinant of GDP per head. As noted in the 2012 report by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the empirical literature suggests that the impact of migration on aggregate productivity may be mixed and heavily dependent on the type of migrant coming to the UK. Migrants may increase productivity either through a simple ‘batting average’ effect if they work in higher productivity roles relative to the average for non-migrants, or through increasing the productivity of UK workers through greater specialisation and knowledge transfer. In this report, the MAC established the key role played by skilled migrants in raising productivity. Further, the 2014 MAC report, ‘Migrants in low-skilled work’, found low skilled migrants have a neutral impact on UK-born employment rates, GDP per head and productivity.

Premium Bonds

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 23 March (HL Deb, col 267), why clubs, societies and charities are barred from owning premium bonds.

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest calculation of the total value of unclaimed premium bond prizes.

baroness neville-rolfe: National Savings and Investment (NS&I) consider a prize as unclaimed when it has not been paid or cashed in to the bond holder within 18 months of the prize being issued. NS&I proactively encourage customers to find funds and accounts they have lost track of. They do this in a number of ways, including regular media campaigns and their continued support for the My Lost Account service. Since the first prize draw in July 1957, 364 million prizes have been awarded with a total value of £17.2 billion. To date, there are 1,353,438 unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes worth a total of £55.2 million, just over 0.3% of total prizes awarded. The legislation under which Premium Bonds are offered states that Premium Bonds can only be purchased or held by an individual. Changing this legislation to allow charities, clubs and societies to purchase Premium Bonds would have significant operational implications for NS&I. It would require systems to be put in place to allow multiple authorised signatories to each account and ensure that any instructions received come from authorised individuals. This would result in a large operational cost relative to the likely scale of deposits, and would therefore not be cost-effective for the taxpayer.

Social Security Benefits: Children

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many families will be affected by the introduction of the two-child limit on Child Tax Credit and the child element of Universal Credit in (1) 2017–18, (2) 2018–19, and (3) 2019–20.

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what projections they have made of the effect of introducing the two-child limit on Child Tax Credits and the child element of Universal Credit on the number of children in poverty, according to the income-based measures used in the official Households Below Average Income statistics.

baroness neville-rolfe: From 6 April 2017 families will no longer be able to claim additional support of up to £2,780 per child per year for third and subsequent children born on or after this date through Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit. Families on benefits should have to make the same financial decisions as families supporting themselves solely through work. All households should think carefully about whether they are financially prepared to support a new child without relying on means-tested benefits. There will be no cash losers as a result of the Government’s policy to limit support to two children in Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit.An impact assessment of Tax Credits and Universal Credit changes to Child Element and Family Element was published in July 2015. It can be found on the Parliament website[1]. [1] http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/ia15-006e.pdf



Impact assessment
(PDF Document, 248.3 KB)

Inflation

lord shipley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given their use of the Consumer Price Index to calculate increases in pensions and benefits, what assessment they have made of the impact on consumers of the Retail Price Index being used by private companies to determine price increases.

baroness neville-rolfe: The government has not made an assessment of the impact on consumers of the Retail Prices Index being used by private companies.

Help to Buy Scheme

lord cooper of windrush: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total cost of the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme since its introduction.

lord cooper of windrush: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) individuals, and (2) families, have bought homes through the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme.

baroness neville-rolfe: The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme was designed to be self-financing through the commercial fee that lenders paid for the provision of the Government guarantee. The fee was set to cover the administration cost, the cost of capital of providing the guarantee and expected losses from loans guaranteed under the scheme. The total cost of running the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme from its introduction in 13 October to 31 March 2016 was £11.9 million. This has been paid in full with the commercial fees collected from lenders. The Treasury routinely publishes Official Statistics on the performance of the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The most recent publication was on 30 March 2017. This showed 101,960 mortgages had been completed with the support of the scheme. We do not record whether mortgage applications submitted to the scheme are made by a single individual or jointly.

VAT

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cumulative effect of changes to laws and regulations relating to VAT on (1) small and medium-sized enterprises, (2) charities, and (3) churches.

baroness neville-rolfe: The Government assesses the impact on businesses and civil society organisations of each change in VAT law and publishes these assessments in Tax Information and Impact Notes. This does not assess cumulative effects.

Productivity

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the possible benefits to the national economy of encouraging good leadership and psychological wellbeing.

baroness neville-rolfe: In 2015 the UK government published its productivity plan ‘Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’, which acknowledged the importance of management and leadership performance in improving productivity performance. At the Autumn Statement 2016 the government announced that will it provide £13 million to support firms’ plans to improve their management skills and leadership by implementing Sir Charlie Mayfield’s review of business productivity. In 2014 the government supported the creation of a new What Works Centre for Wellbeing. The centre brings together evidence on different aspects of wellbeing and work, looking at the impact that different interventions and services have on wellbeing.

Credit Cards: Debts

baroness manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that credit card companies give more help to those with debt problems following the introduction of new rules by the Financial Conduct Authority.

baroness neville-rolfe: This question has been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply to directly to the noble Baroness by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Commonwealth

lord chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many specialist personnel, expert in international trade agreements within the Commonwealth, they have engaged by outsourcing to the private sector as part of the Brexit process; and how many of those have been engaged to deal specifically with trade agreements with South Africa.

lord price: The Department for International trade has not engaged any trade specialists, including for trade agreements with South Africa, via private sector outsourcing.

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Inspections

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the professional qualifications of the Care Quality Commissioners who inspect NHS general practitioners' practices; whether they are required to inspect the premises and the work in those practices and to meet patients, as well as inspecting written and IT procedures; and what assessment they have made of the costs of such inspections to general practices which are assessed to be operating satisfactorily.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection teams for general practitioner (GP) practices will always include a GP who is on the General Medical Council GP register and may include other specialist inspectors, such as practice nurses and/or practice managers. All of the CQC’s inspectors must also have experience of the health and social care sector. Detailed information regarding the scope of the CQC’s inspections of GP practices and the personnel involved can be found in the GP Provider handbook. A copy of the handbook, How CQC regulates: NHS GP practices and GP out-of-hours services Provider handbook, is attached. Inspections of GP practices usually involve one day on site. Lines of enquiry focus on whether services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. During the visit, the inspection team speak to both people who use the service and staff. The calculations for the regulation of National Health Service GPs for 2016/17 indicated a cost of £37.6 million. £20.9 million of the 2016/17 costs was made up of registration fees with the remainder coming from Government funding. Fees are calculated and charged on the basis of the size of a GP practice based on locations or patient list size rather than any rating awarded after an inspection by the CQC. As a result, we are unable to extrapolate the cost of inspections based on any awarded ratings as this information is not centrally collated. 



How CQC regulates
(PDF Document, 626.13 KB)

NHS: Empty Property

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many NHS estate properties are currently vacant, and what is their total value; and what are the NHS's plans for disposal of vacant estate properties.

lord o'shaughnessy: The last National Health Service surplus land annual data collection, published in June 2016, reported there were 418 plots of land in the NHS identified as surplus to requirements. Our current assessment is that around a quarter of these, 121 sites, are vacant. We are in the process of collecting updated information about the market values of these sites as part of this year’s annual data collection, to be published in June 2017. The Department is working with the NHS to ensure that property is used in a way that ensures the best possible services for patients, best value for taxpayers in freeing additional resources for reinvestment in new facilities and services and which supports wider housing objectives, including by releasing surplus NHS land sufficient for 26,000 homes by March 2020. The recently published independent review of the NHS estate by Sir Robert Naylor highlights the opportunities available to the NHS to support Sustainability and Transformation Plans and deliver best value, by optimising the use of NHS land and buildings. Work is already underway by the Government to take forward some of the recommendations including the design of a new NHS property body which will build strategic estates capabilities at a national and local level and support the identification and disposal of surplus NHS land.

NHS: Finance

baroness wheeler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress NHS Improvement and NHS England have made in developing new (1) outcomes-based, and (2) capitated budget, reimbursement models for the provision of specialised services.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England and NHS Improvement are working on a number of different reimbursement models for specialised services. The actual payment model will depend on the characteristics of the service, and an assessment of the approach likely to be most conducive to improved patient outcomes. NHS England and NHS Improvement are exploring models built on payment based on episodes of care, on the fixed costs of providing a service, or on the adoption of a pathway or year of care payment model. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working with the New Care Model Vanguards to develop a capitation-type payment model, called a Whole Population Budget, which could also be used to reimburse specialised services.

Care Homes

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made of the cost effectiveness of local authorities developing and running social care residential homes to meet the urgent needs of the elderly population.

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what encouragement and support is given to local authorities to develop and run their own social care residential provision, in the light of the loss of places through the closures of privately run homes for the elderly.

lord o'shaughnessy: High-quality, personalised care and support can only be achieved where there is a vibrant, responsive market of service providers. There has been an effective market operating in adult social care for over 20 years. The independent and charitable sector has proved successful in meeting increased demand for high quality services. The Government continues to monitor the capacity of the social care system and bed capacity has remained broadly stable - 460,664 beds in 2010 to 459,874 now. The Government does not advise local authorities or private companies on how to set up or operate care homes. The Care Act 2014 placed duties on local authorities making them responsible for ensuring there is an effective pool of quality providers of social care in their area with capacity to meet the needs of their local population. It is for local authorities to determine the most cost effective way of meeting the care needs of their local population. Should a care home close, local authorities have duties to step in temporarily and ensure that all people affected in its area continue to have their needs met and their care is not interrupted. The Department has worked with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Local Government Association, the care sector and other partners to produce a wide range of guidance and support about market shaping and commissioning. We have brought this together in an online hub called Adult Social Care Market Shaping, which is an online only resource widely available to people and organisations including local authorities, service users, and care providers.